Presentation teaches students about persons with disabilities

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
March 23, 2006

REMSEN - Students at Remsen St. Mary's learned about disabilities during presentations given at the school on March 20.

Sarah Arens, graduate of Remsen St. Mary's, talked to the students about her experience at the 2004 Paralympics in Greece. She was the first to present to the students.

"I have a passion for increasing awareness and embracing differences that arise with diversity; particularly for individuals with disabilities," said Sarah. "My former fiance was training to swim for the US Paralympics team, which initiated my involvement with the US Paralympic organization and led to my assignment as village staff for the 2004 Parlaympic Games in Athens, Greece."

She gave examples of people that participate including Cheri Blauwt - Iowan, who holds world records in wheel chair racing and has just finished her medical degree from Stanford and Ashley Nashleanas - a blind swimmer from Hinton. For other stories, visit www.usolympicteam.com/paralympics.

"The important message behind diversity and disability awareness is that all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect - hence the golden rule of 'treating others as you want to be treated' - regardless if they are different than you," said Sarah. "The Paralympic presentation allowed the students at Remsen St. Mary's to personalize the issue of living with a disability and was intended to discourage students from formulating assumptions or passing premature judgment on individuals with disabilities."

Her presentation was followed by a video called "Ten Commandments of Communicating with People with Disabilities." Then there was a discussion, an activity and a closing prayer.

According to Vera Ludwig, a member of the Diocesan Coalition for Ministry for Persons with Disabilities, volunteer opportunities were shared with the students such as the retreat for persons with disabilities, the Masses for persons with disabilities and Special Olympics.

The presentation was given to all of the high school students as well as the junior high students. Anna Stamat, who works at New Perspectives, Inc., helped with the presentations.

"Our goal of the workshop was to teach the kids about communicating effectively with people with disabilities - etiquette, how to act, treating others the way you want to be treated, with respect," said Stamat.

Ludwig hopes the students gained a sensitivity to people with disabilities and learned that people with disabilities want to be accepted just as much as any other person wants to be accepted.

"The students live in a small town and have limited access to the larger community, from what I understand," said Stamat. "I thought it was important to share this information with them, especially the juniors and seniors because they are getting ready to go out into the workforce, going off to college. They are going to be exposed to a very diverse culture including folks with disabilities, so this is an important training."

Stamat added that the students were very receptive to the information.

"We teach here at St. Mary's that all life is sacred from conception until natural death," said Mary Arens, spiritual life director at St. Mary's and Sarah's mother. "We believe that by instilling the golden rule we are teaching that. No matter what anyone struggles with, they are all to be treated as we would want to be treated."

Mary pointed out that there has never been a focus on the disabled at St. Mary's.

"We never know when the tables will be turned and we will be in that situation," said Mary. "These people are nothing less. They just have a few challenges in the way."